Publications by authors named "Andrew C Kurtz"
Article Synopsis
- Soil warming due to climate change can impact the cycling of silica in forest ecosystems, which has previously been unexplored.
- Researchers conducted a 15-year study at Harvard Forest to measure silica concentrations in various soil types and plant materials under both warmed and control conditions.
- Findings suggest that while warming increases silica uptake by plants and accelerates its release from decaying litter, it does not change soil biogenic silica stocks, indicating a more complex interplay in silica cycling that could affect its transfer to marine systems.
Laser-ablation inductively coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry analysis of red oak (Quercus rubra) from a well documented heavy metal contaminated United States Environmental Protection Agency superfund site in Woburn, Massachusetts reveals decade-long trends in Pb contaminant sources. Lead isotope ratios (207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) in tree rings plot along a linear trend bracketed by several local and regional contamination sources. Statistically significant interannual variations in 207Pb/206Pb suggest that atmospheric Pb is rapidly incorporated into wood, with minimal mobility subsequent to deposition in annual growth rings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSilicon has a crucial role in many biogeochemical processes--for example, as a nutrient for marine and terrestrial biota, in buffering soil acidification and in the regulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Traditionally, silica fluxes to soil solutions and stream waters are thought to be controlled by the weathering and subsequent dissolution of silicate minerals. Rates of mineral dissolution can be enhanced by biological processes.
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